Legislation and Business Regulation

Final prohibition on the use of certain EU names of products: SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement

A notice was published under Government Notice No 66 of 2014 in the Government Gazette (Gazette number 37296) on 4 February 2014 requesting public comment on providing protection under Section 15 of the Merchandise Marks Act to the EU agricultural product and beer GI names listed in the Notice. On 21 October 2016, a Final Notice in terms of Section 15(1)(b) was published under Government Gazette Notice No 1303 of 2016 in the Government Gazette (Gazette number 40359) prohibiting the use of the EU agricultural product and beer names listed in Notice other than the use thereof by the producers of the products from the countries indicated in the notice or any party in accordance with the Rules of Use published as an annexure to the Final Notice. Click here to view the notice as published.

The descriptions of the agricultural products and beers names as well as the Rules of Use applicable thereto can be viewed at the following links: